


hand to hand (hand in hand)

by wynnebat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Complicated Relationships, F/M, First Meetings, Pre-Het
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 17:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13839303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynnebat/pseuds/wynnebat
Summary: Gabriel shows up in person to judge the bowler hat competition. It has some unintended (but not entirely unwelcome) consequences.





	hand to hand (hand in hand)

**Author's Note:**

> Ages are handwaved; I'm not sure how old everyone in Marinette's age group is, but I'm going with 16. Written for a prompt by wings-melted-like-wax.

“He’s going to hate it,” Marinette whimpers as she skids to a stop next to Alya, setting her hat box onto the stand. She’d had to discreetly run around Mr. Damocles and Mr. Agreste— _Mr. Agreste! Gabriel Agreste! Her fashion idol! Him!_ —and Mr. Agreste’s personal assistant in order to get inside the school before judging began. “I had less than—” _an hour because I had to save the city from Hawk Moth_ “—um, the time I needed to make a proper bowler hat. Oh, this is a disaster!”

“Relax, Marinette,” Alya says from beside her without anywhere near the proper level of panic about this event. But then, it isn’t Alya who has her career idol in the same room as her for the first time in her life. “You’ve got this.”

Marinette smiles at her in thanks, but her attention is soon commandeered by Mr. Agreste walking into the room. She’s never seen him, even though he’s Adrien’s dad, and he’s like a picture come to life. Or a TED Talk. Marinette is overjoyed that no one can see her browsing history and just how many times she’s watched Mr. Agreste’s inspiring fashion talks. He’s even wearing his signature colors, which Marinette and half the internet think make him look like a candy cane, but, you know, an iconic one. As Mr. Agreste approaches the first competitor’s stand, Marinette has the sudden realization that Mr. Agreste is going to say something to her. As in, actual words. As in, oh god, what if he expects her to reply instead of nod and faint? Adrien is going to see her utterly embarrass herself in front of his dad, too. “Kill me now.”

“Not to make things worse, but, uh, your hat is the same is Chloe’s,” Alya says, taking the hat out of its box.

It _is_. And Mr. Agreste has already approached Chloe’s stand, which means he’s seen her design first. But if the designs are really identical—had Chloe been spying on her in the park or peeking through her window?—then Marinette knows just what to do. She manages to not faint as Mr. Agreste approaches her and Alya, instead pointing out the design element that marks it as her own work. There’s no way Chloe can pull off having Marinette’s name embroidered on her hat!

When Chloe runs off, Marinette breathes a sigh of relief. That had been too close; she really needs to hide her sketchbook from prying eyes. While it’s a little flattering that out of everyone’s work, Chloe decided that Marinette’s design had been the best to steal, it’s mostly just annoying.

Mr. Agreste turns back to her, his eyes taking in her hat once again before meeting hers. “Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the hands of a hat-maker, Miss…”

“Marinette,” she breathes. Her idol knows her name and thinks her hat is exquisite. That’s it, Marinette Dupain-Cheng can now die happy.

Mr. Agreste inclines his head, reaching out his hand for a handshake. “Congratulations on your demonstration, Miss Marinette. You’re the winner.”

“Thank you,” Marinette says, smiling so widely it hurts. She takes his hand when she’s already half way through a thank you, and it takes her a moment to finish the phrase, the word shaky as it leaves her mouth. Her smile has slipped, but her eyes are so wide as she looks into Gabriel’s blue eyes. The handshake lasts a moment, two, and her entire universe converges onto that one touch, onto this one moment. When her father had first explained the feeling of completion that one gets at the touch of their soulmate, gazing happily at her mom the entire time, Marinette hadn’t really understood it. Later, she’d decided it must be like the feeling of a warm bath, or the touch of a long-haired cat’s fur, or seeing Adrien, but it’s all those feelings and more. Safety, completion, perfection, in a way she’s never felt before, the touch of the other half of her soul. Marinette doesn’t intend to ever let go, but Gabriel does, his hand slipping out of hers before the handshake can get too long.

Still, the moment lasts, both of them unable to say anything until Adrien breaks through the silence. “And the best news is that I can war your derby during the line’s next advertising campaign! Isn’t that great?”

“Yes,” Marinette replies, her voice a little faint. “It is, it’s great.”

Oh god, the only ways she’s ever thought of this man is as the ideal future boss and the ideal _father in law_. Mr. Damocles takes this as the perfect moment to tell Mr. Agreste—Gabriel, it’s Gabriel, like the brand, but Marinette can’t even imagine using it—all about how well Adrien has been doing at school, and Gabriel Agreste turns away from her without another word. Marinette’s too relieved to feel disappointed. She needs a minute. Maybe an hour. Maybe a decade.

“At least you didn’t faint,” Alya says, bumping her shoulder against Marinette’s. “Are you alright? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine. I just…” Marinette looks back at him, her eyes finding him easily. He’s her north now that she’s found him, the other half of her soul, but Marinette doesn’t know how to make it through the shock. The disappointment, too. She’s been trying to put it behind her that Adrien’s not her soulmate, but the fact that it’s Adrien’s father who inspired the spark is bringing all those feelings back up. A man who’s so different from her, older and wiser and already married once. “I can’t believe it.”

 _I met my soulmate when I won his competition_ seems like a perfectly wonderful soulmeet-cute for anyone other than her, anyone other than him, just anyone else. Marinette doesn’t want to be here with her eyes still impossibly wide.

“You should, girl. Even Gabriel Agreste is able to realize what talent you have—as he should. Now, tell me everything about how you made it…”

It’s easier to let herself get distracted by her craft. This hat is hers, down to the name in its embroidery, and the part of her who idolizes the creator of the Gabriel brand is so proud of the fact that he endorses her work. If she’d only had a few more hours, she could’ve made it even better, her stitches neater and her cuts a little more even, but even now it’s still pretty perfect. Alix and the others join them, asking questions about her materials. None of them are very put out about losing out, not having any fashion ambitions of their own. There’s no sight of Chloe, thankfully.

When the hats have been collected for the little art exhibit that Mr. Damocles wants to set up and most of her friends have dispersed, Marinette looks up to see Gabriel watching her from the other side of the gym.

“A moment to speak about your design, Miss Marinette,” Mr. Agreste calls, walking toward the doors, just far enough where they won’t be overheard by anyone except his personal assistant.

Alya gasps and pushes her toward him. “Go on. Maybe he wants to offer you an internship!”

“N-no, it’s probably nothing,” Marinette says, leaving her friend behind. It’s probably the worst lie she’s ever tried to give. Nothing, really, _nothing_ doesn’t feel like her heart is going to beat out of her chest as she walks to meet her soulmate. She stops, feeling too close and too far at the same time. “Hi.”

“Hello,” Gabriel replies, and there’s something so lost and helpless in his blue eyes. He looks like it’s the world that’s fallen on his shoulders, not his soulmate. It’s enough to level Marinette’s heartbeat, to assure her that it’s not only her who doesn’t know what to do. She could be a hundred years old and she still wouldn’t know how to do this. “I hadn’t been sure I’d ever meet you.”

So unsure that he’s already had a marriage, a child, and Marinette has taken so long to come along and meet him already. “Sorry, I’ve always been late to everything. I should’ve known I’d be late in this, too.”

The corner of Gabriel’s mouth twitches up. It’s the closest he’s gotten to a smile in all this time. “I wouldn’t get to half of my appointments on time without the direction of my PA.”

He’s nothing like his son, who’s free with his smiles even after all that’s happened in the past year. Marinette would have to live under a rock not to know; everyone who’s even tangentially into fashion knows of Lana Agreste’s death. And everyone who’s in Adrien’s class knows how controlling he is with Adrien’s free time. That’s the problem: Marinette knows both too much about him and not enough. She knows him as her idol and she knows him as her crush’s father, and neither of those images of him have prepared her for this.

“Marinette…” he trails off. With a frown that looks more natural on him than a smile, he adds, “This is not ideal.”

Ah, there’s jerk she’s heard about from Adrien and Nino. He’s not trying to spare her feelings, but it’s alright. Marinette’s thoughts have been of a similar vein. “You’re right.” She meets his eyes with a determined expression, because she’s not the Marinette who used to give into Chloe’s demands or give into her fears after battling that first akumatized villain. She’s Marinette and she’s Ladybug, she’s Alya’s friend and Chat Noir’s ally. She’s this man’s soulmate. “It’s not. But I still want to try. You’re my soulmate and that means something to me, something important. But if you’re not ready, you can make me wait, too. It’s only fair.”

“I’ve never been a man overly concerned with fairness,” Gabriel says with a small shake of his head. The way he looks at her, it’s almost too much. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.”

“That sounds lonely,” Marinette replies, her voice soft.

The words seem to wrest out of him. “It can be.”

“I’ve been told I’m a great friend,” Marinette tells him. “Expert opinion. Alya’s.” Trying not to feel like her whole world is depending on one moment—because soulmates aren’t everything, and in truth she barely knows him, but Marinette hates the thought of not trying at all. If this is going to crash and burn, she’s going to be right there next to him. She extends her hand to him. “Friends?” _For now,_ she leaves off. Marinette is nothing if not determined.

Slowly, Gabriel takes it, and her world glows once again. He leans in and presses his lips against her cheek. It’s only a soft touch, but their souls still sing at it. “Thank you, Miss Marinette.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm also on tumblr as @[crownwithoutstones](https://crownwithoutstones.tumblr.com/).


End file.
